Cleveland Jazz Orchestra Artistic Director Jack Schantz

The Schantz Organ Company has been a fixture in Orrville, Ohio since 1873. Not all of the Schantz descendants have been musically-oriented, or organ-directed, but a good share of them have. Jack Schantz, Artistic Director of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra smiles and says, “I found something more to my personal taste—trumpet, rather than organ.” Even the woman he married, Marsha, played trumpet in high school, but their daughter Ella (named for a great aunt, rather than the noted jazz singer) will probably not go in that direction. As it happens, Jack and Marsha didn’t meet until they were adults, and Jack took his dog to a professional dog groomer, who turned out to be Marsha.

In the early 70s, Jack had attended Otterbein College for a while, then spent a few of his younger adult years as a busy free-lance trumpet player here and there. He ended up at The University of Akron, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1980, and then embarked on eight years of touring with bands that still carried the names of the greats who’d founded them, decades earlier: Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw and Woody Herman.

His teacher was Roland Paolucci, who would remain a steady friend and mentor through the years. In fact, in 1974, Jack had joined Paolucci’s Akron Jazz Workshop, before founding his own group, the Jazz Unit in1976. When he came off the road in 1988, it was to become a member of Paolucci’s new venture, the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. This band had been formed about the time Schantz hit the road, when Gary Scott, a local trumpeter, set it up primarily as a rehearsal band, where the intent was just to have fun. Gradually the intensity level increased, and the group, now known as the North Coast Jazz Orchestra, began to play concerts in the area. Another metamorphosis came in 1984, when they presented the first concert under yet another new name – the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. This name stuck.

Two of the musicians in that May 20, 1984 performance, bass-trombonist Paul Hungerford and tenor sax John Klayman played in that first concert and are still active members of the CJO. Jack adds, “when he retired, Roland (Paolucci) was very hip about the transition – he’d been a friend and mentor to me for a good many years. He stayed involved (and still is) and has offered much substantial advice.”

If Jack Schantz had his way, you’d never know much of the above—he’d rather you know about the music than about him. But you can’t very easily separate the man from the music. Who can say how many of the great names in jazz became more familiar to Clevelanders because of his efforts? Having one of his dreams come true made this possible, as he brought in big name players like Billy Byers, Bill Finnegan and other jazz greats for performances of their music or arrangements.

Always an appreciator of Big Band Jazz, Jack had also been a music copyist for a few years in the late 80s and early 90s. He’d done a good bit of work for Billy Byers, then living in Los Angeles. It’s a good way to learn about someone’s music, being so intimately involved with copying and writing out the various parts. So when he was asked to become the Artistic Director of the CJO in 1993, him main intent was “to honor the writers, those still with us, and those who weren’t. I asked him to come hear us and then planned an evening of Billy’s music. He came, stayed for an entire week, and we were bowled over by him and our two concerts.” A beatific smile wreathes his face as he remembers.

“It was so good. I started calling all my heroes. One at a time, they all came. All the big name writers: Bill Finnegan (of the Sauter-Finnegan Big Band) plus Bill Holman'' and Bob Brookmeyer. They’ve all been here.”

All those years as a player also led into becoming a teacher. “Teaching is fantastic,” he adds. “I came late to teaching. I was 44. I was married, had a child, earned a Master’s degree, and interviewed in many places, but it was Akron that offered a place. I knew the school, too, and that helped. Playing all those years gave me a different view of what it takes—and what it’s like to be a musician. It’s a more practical approach, not just theoretical, and then how to apply those principles to real life. Teaching forces you to get your thoughts together. You have to find many ways to say the same thing—sort of like finding the right key to open the door. My aim is to turn out people who have a real voice.” He pauses for a moment. “Not just a musical voice, but one for life. It’s really fantastically interesting.”

“There’s a spiritual connection to music—especially jazz. Jazz is really all about transformation. But, so are the world’s great religious traditions. It’s about taking something coarse, making something of a higher level out of it, how to follow the process to make it happen. What are we teaching? How does one apply that to be able to play? First, you need to be a good musician. A good jazz player must do all the things classical musicians have to do. In either discipline, you need to be accomplished – play in tune, with a good sound – if you want to make a living. You have to play notes—the right notes—be on time, and play with others. And also have the skills of understanding harmony, rhythm, melody, form, improvisation. It’s the tradition of discipline that starts with reading music.”

“Dizzy Gillespie was a fabulous showman and entertainer, and he became one of the first great teachers of and about jazz. He seemed to realize that jazz was an art form and not just entertainment. That happened in the be-bop era when people started really listening to the music.” He stops to gather his words. “Dizzy once said, ‘It took my whole life to know what notes not to play.’ There are some astonishingly talented youngsters out there. They speak the language really well, but yet they really have nothing to say. Jazz is a metaphor for life. The Elders speak eloquently, but you don’t get to that point until you’ve had your heart broken a bunch of times. Record contracts should be for older cats who answer the call every day. The first chunk of a career is imitation; youth is good, new is good. You have to be a survivor in a culture that doesn’t care about you.”

“I remember from college that Roland told me to make my band my own—create my own scene, involve as many people as possible. I remembered this when I became AD of the CJO. I really thought it was important to honor the writers, first. We’re trying to keep it fresh, yet edgy. It’s so important to know where you’ve been, where you are, where you’re going. Be useful to the music.” That’s a good credo for anyone—helping other people, work on yourself for the sake of others and the sake of the scene.

Fifteen years later, Jack is still doing this, honoring the writers. Last October, it was a CJO concert called Sax and Bones, featuring music by two of the band members: sax player Rich Shanklin and trombonist Chas Baker. There’s also been a concert or two featuring the original compositions as well as the arrangements by trombonist Paul Ferguson. Jack says “Our job is to make their names and their music known, try to promote new music while the writers are still around. I’m very anxious to see what happens next. We plan for a year in advance.”

During these fifteen busy years, Jack has been Artistic Director of the CJO, in addition to teaching full-time at The University of Akron, playing with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, the Blossom Festival Band and Orchestra, and at Play House Square for the touring Broadway series. He’s just coming off the runs of The Drowsy Chaperone and The Color Purple. He’s also been active in the Children’s Concert Society in Akron, that provides music for children in the schools, sometimes soloists or other groups. Last month he announced his retirement as AD at the end of the 2008-09 CJO season, although he’ll still hold on to his trumpet chair.

“Gotta have a little bit of fire to do this,” he says. “I’m not sure if I still have that much. I want to rededicate myself to the trumpet. It’s difficult to think about your own playing when you’re the leader. I want to be more of a player. We (the CJO) have a crackerjack rep – we get the job done, and it’s right. We don’t have to make history every night. All my dreams have come true.” A smile crosses his face. “The gig with Joe Lovano was huge. HUGE – we played with him for four nights at Birdland in New York, then made the CD.” He shakes his head in wonderment.

But, the real biggie is Ella. Jack and Marsha’s daughter is now 14. “I need to be more of a Dad for a while,” he says with a smile.

And then he divulges another dream—this one’s been nudging him for 25 years. It’s a musical work based on the philosophy and teachings of the Armenian/Russian mystic, Georgiy Ivanovich Gurdjieff, who lived from 1866 or so to 1949. It’s the intersection of Eastern and Western music and religious philosophies and traditions.

Well. Jack may have been thinking about and working on this for 25 years, but his collaborator—Dave Morgan, has put in only about six months on it, so far. Morgan is a well-known and highly regarded bass player, composer and arranger, as well as good friend. They anticipate completion in eighteen months or so. “We still have a lot of books to read,” Jack adds.

He looks off into the distance, gathering thoughts and words, before offering another opinion. “Art is essential to human beings. It enables us to see unity in diversity. A major principle of civilization is that art is based on conveying specific information. All art forms have these, but how we order them is the key to expression in non-verbal ways. We have to aspire to something higher than ourselves. Notre Dame, the Pyramids, the Parthenon – these were all conceived by people who aspired to a higher plane. There are traditions of art that no one knows anything about. There are surviving fragments that are remnants of a superior culture. Yet they speak to people of every age and civilization. Is mass consumptive art, art for others?” He shrugs, then smiles. “Vulgar arts or higher arts? Each has its place.”

This weekend, July 11 and 12, at the Cleveland Bop Stop, the CJO will be conducted by special guest conductor Bill Dobbins. Concert time is 8 pm either night. Tickets are available now by calling the CJO Ticket Line at The Beck Center at 521-2540. Then on Sunday, July 13, The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra will highlight the 2008 Wooster Arts Jazz Fest! Find the music on the square in historic downtown Wooster at the intersection of Liberty and Market streets. There will be two sets; from 11:30AM - 1PM and 2:30 - 4PM.

Next up after this weekend are concerts on August 1 & 29 on the roof of the Cleveland Museum of Art parking garage. The music of Duke Ellington will be featured on August 1, while the 29th will be a Swing Era Dance, with Dancers! And dance teachers! For more information, call 440-942-9525 or visit the website http://www.clevelandjazz.org

From Cool Cleveland contributor Kelly Ferjutz artswriterATroadrunner.com

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